My brother sent me a question about fashion in 1867 - specifically regarding
a ball in Washington DC. Do any of you have any idea why an 1867 woman
would powder her hair or wear a blue ribbon around her neck?
Here is the original quote. It's taken from the letters of John Hay. He was
Abraham Lincoln's private secretary all during the Lincoln administration
and then got sent to France as a diplomatic attache during the Johnson
administration. He wrote about the ball in DC in February 1867 when he'd
just returned from Paris.
begin quote:
"February 11. Mrs. Sprague gave a beautiful ball. The ladies who
danced the Cotillon, and many who did not, had their hair powdered a
la marquise. I have never seen so beautiful and picturesque a
roomful. Some of the most striking were the Hostess herself (with
whom I danced), the Hoyts, Miss Romain Goddard, Miss Haggerty, and
Mrs. Banks, who was very correctly dressed, even to the extend of the
blue ribbon around the neck, a little refinement in which she was
alone -- Miss Kinzie, a fresh Western beauty and a superb danseuse.
Mrs. Sumner and Miss Hooper, though not powdered, were beautifully
dressed."
:end quote
I have my theories but I don't want to influence any of your answers as they
are just theories.
Thanks,
Agnes
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